Sooner Rather Than Later

We just got back from Isabelle's check up a little while ago and here is the long and short of it:

The good news: The part of the spine that was fused (C2-C6) looks good. It is still lined up like it's supposed to be and none of the screws or plates have slipped. Her pin sites still look good and are still infection free so far. We do not have to go back for another check up for four weeks.

The bad news: C1 and the base of Isabelle's skull are still not lined up like they need to be. We knew this before Isabelle left the hospital so this is not new to us. However, before we left Isabelle's surgeon made some adjustments to her halo in hopes that this would help the alignment. Obviously it didn't. It is likely he will have to go back in and fuse all the way to the base of the skull sooner rather than later. Again, we knew this before leaving the hospital but we were still hopeful that the adjustments he made would help out a little. The plan is to continue along as is and see what happens once the halo comes off. He obviously wants to wait as long as possible both for growth and recovery from the first surgery. Unfortunately this is one of those things where there is no way to know when it will have to be done. Sooner rather than later can mean two months or two years as opposed to ten or more.

So, to answer the question of whether or not the fusion worked. Yes and no. The worst part of Isabelle's spine that was causing the most danger has been fixed as long as the fusion continues to hold. However, because Isabelle has a syndrome that causes spinal instability it is hard to get every thing perfect.

Please continue to pray for Isabelle and the alignment of her spine. That she will remain out of danger from spinal cord damage and her spine holds up for a few more years (or more) so she can grow.